Why Alberta's new COVID-19 vaccine card could lead to fakes

The Alberta government launched its COVID-19 immunization record on Sunday so vaccinated individualscan print out a card-sized copy but it turns outgetting your name on one isn't difficult.

After the sitelaunched, many took to Twitter to exclaim that the PDF was not lockedand that virtually anyone can edit the information on itif they have access to Adobe Reader.

The news comes after the province announced therestriction exemption programon Wednesday, which putthe onus on some non-essential businesses to implement a vaccination system for patrons or be subject to additional rules.

Aside from the printable copy, the province also made a digital versionavailable on the MyHealthRecordssmart phone appbut many have been warned of long wait times to access the website and app.

So, for those who need to show vaccination proof, it seems the print-out is the easiest option but experts say it's also tooeasy for unvaccinated individuals to modify.

Cybersecurity expertRitesh Kotaksays aside from editing the PDF, applications like Photoshop can also easily be used to manipulate the card and that at the end of the day, itoperates on the honour system.

"We hope that people don't abuse the system. But again, you're kind of leaving it to the public, to self-governance andself regulate," he said.

"There's no security measures really in place to prevent fraud from happening."

According to a statement by the Government of Alberta, the printable cards arean easy and convenient way to directly access vaccine records.

"The PDF is now as secure as it can be; however a motivated individual can edit the document to create a new record," read the statement.

Cards are illegal to edit

Falsifying these health recordsis also an offence under theHealth Information Act,said the province.

"That said, we know the vast majority of Albertans will use the system properly and adhere to the legal requirements set out in the current public health orders."

Kotaksaid thegovernment has had more than a year to come up with a better method for proof of vaccination and that this seems like a "band-aid solution" to fix the problem.

In many provinces, aQR codehas been included to prove vaccination, which the Alberta government said will be available in the coming weeks.

Manitoba, for example, hasplasticimmunizationcards with ascannableQR code on the back.

And British Columbiaoffers a printable paper copysimilar to Alberta's; however it alsoincludes theQR code.

"QR codes is a solution where the information is embedded, it is encrypted in some cases and you need a companion app to scan it and verify it. So it minimizes potential fraud and manipulation of these types of documents," said Kotak.

He saidwhile QR codes may be the best methodto verify vaccination and a person's identity, therestill needs to be a hybrid solutionin place.

"When it comes to this type of technology access to technology is really important as well. So you might have areas that have kind of connectivity issues. Individuals might not actually own smart phones. There is a segment of the population that that would prefer paper-based," he said.

Hebelieves anational strategy should alsobe put in place.

"People are going to travel, they're going to go from province to province," he says.

"We needsomething federal, but because it's been broken up in every province has come out with their own, and some haven't even come out with anything, it's going to create a real challenge."